Conservation of biodiversity: spatio-temporal dynamics of canopy microarthropods

影响群落中物种的组织、分布和多样性的因素是生态学研究的中心问题。古雨林的温带森林冠层被定义为林分中所有树冠的总和，并提供了一个理想的研究系统，以制定与观察到的物种丰富度和丰富度在空间和时间上的模式有关的解释。 在这些森林生态系统中，节肢动物是最多样化的生物体，是许多生态系统过程的组成部分。 虽然物种丰富的社区在热带林冠继续探索，多样性和动物群协会在温带古老雨林的不列颠哥伦比亚省林冠几乎是未知的，有关这些社区的信息是缺乏的。 这些温带针叶林生态系统包含独特的栖息地，是加拿大生物多样性的热点。鉴于为维持生物多样性而采取的许多保护理由，总结留居物种多样性的经验模式是非常可取的。 我的冠层节肢动物研究的结果继续支持一个独特的古老的森林节肢动物群落存在的观察，与许多未描述的物种是特定于这些森林冠层内的微生境。 这种观察对于栖息在离地面约60米的悬浮土壤中的甲螨最为明显。 在高冠层有几个物种与碎屑为基础的食物网，已演变成一个独立的树栖群落。我的冠层研究仍然是唯一的加拿大研究在古代针叶林冠层和结果正在被用来形成一个国际网络的一个组成部分，全球冠层的研究，是与记录的生物体与栖息地的冠层，如悬浮土壤和地衣积累的功能。 这项研究将超越简单的描述社区的多样性和测试理论，主要关注预测模式的变化物种组成的栖息地作为补丁之间的距离的函数。

Factors that influence the organization, distribution, and diversity of species in communities are central issues of ecological studies. The temperate forest canopy of an ancient rainforest is defined as the sum of all tree crowns in a forest stand and provides an ideal study system to formulate explanations concerned with observed patterns of species richness and abundance in space and time.  In these forest ecosystems arthropods are the most diverse organisms and are integral components of many ecosystem processes.  While species-rich communities in tropical canopies continue to be explored,the diversity and faunal associations in the canopies of temperate ancient rainforests of British Columbia are virtually unknown and information concerning these communities is lacking.  These temperate coniferous forest ecosystems contain unique habitats that are hotspots of Canadian biodiversity. Summarizing empirical patterns of resident species diversity is highly desirable given the numerous conservation reasons that have been adopted for maintaining biodiversity.  Results from my canopy arthropod studies continue to add support to the observation that a unique ancient forest arthropod community exists, with many undescribed species that are specific to the microhabitats contained within these forest canopies.  This observation is most pronounced for the oribatid beetle mites that inhabit suspended soils some 60 metres from the ground.  In the high canopy there are several species associated with detritus-based food webs that have evolved to form a separate arboreal community. My canopy studies continue to be the only Canadian research in ancient coniferous forest canopies and results are being used to form an integral part of an international network on global canopy studies that are concerned with documenting the organisms that are associated with habitat features of the canopy such as suspended soils and lichen accumulations.  This research will move beyond simple descriptions of community diversity and test theories primarily concerned with predicting the pattern of changing species composition in separated patches of habitat as a function of the distance between patches.